How To Avoid Overeating During The Holidays

In the past, I would just accept the fact that holiday dinners would mean stuffing my face silly with extra plates of turkey, ham, gravy and stuffing. And pie. And cookies. And whatever else was available within reach.

True story:

When I was in college, I once ate 3 pumpkin pies, yes 3, during Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday – Sunday.

3. Whole. Pumpkin. PIES.

All by myself.

My friend’s grandmother thought it was the best thing ever because it meant she wouldn’t have much leftovers. But the thought of it now, gives me a tummy ache.

It has taken me far too many holiday feasts and a few years of studying energy work that I’ve come to the conclusion that overeating is a result of being ungrounded, or un-centered.

Since the idea of overeating is on the forefront of most people’s minds right now, I figured to take the time to write up a quick blog post about the subject.

What does being “grounded” mean?

Feeling grounded is an energetic term that means we are connected with the earth. And if you are feeling “ungrounded” or un-centered, your body will naturally try to find a way to feel closer to earth again.

Much like plants and trees are rooted in the earth, so are we in energetic terms. And when we are running around, expending our energy, and especially now during the holidays when we are traveling, we lose this connection.

And I am proposing that, in our culture, overeating is our body’s attempt of trying to feel grounded.

The more you eat, the heavier you feel, and the closer you are to the ground. Feeling grounded is a first chakra concern, since it is the chakra closest to the ground.

If you are traveling, especially flying, you are energetically gonna feel “off” since you’re pretty much being uprooted from your home, leaving you feeling un-centered.

Your body, in its attempt to feel more grounded will ask you to fill it’s belly till you’re super-full, thus making you heavier, and closer to the earth. However, we know this doesn’t help you feel good (or look good) in the long run.

How To Avoid Overeating During the Holidays

This year, in between your rounds of watching Love Actually and Elf, try these energy healing tricks to help you avoid overeating:

1. Try deep breathing.

Sitting in a chair, lying down, or better yet, sitting on the ground, spend a few minutes on your breath.  You don’t have to change your breath just focus on breathing, and actually tune in to the sensations you are feeling while doing so.

Pay attention to the air going through your nose, feel your rib cage expand and collapse, and sense any areas of tension throughout the body. Try to only focus on your breathing and how your body is feeling. Relax your shoulders, let your jaw hang loose, and just breath for a few minutes.

The purpose of this exercise is just to get you to feel in your body. When we are ungrounded, we are disconnected from our physical body, and overeating is just one attempt for us to feel ourselves again, since, when you are full you can totally feel it.

2. Walking barefoot outside

Kick off your shoes, and walk barefoot in the grass or sand if you can. Your barefeet against the ground is direct connection to Earth’s energy, and one of the best ways to instantly feel more grounded.

3. Take a warm shower or bath

Feeling the warm water on your skin brings you back to the physical, and thus gets you to pay attention to how you are feeling.  The warm water is providing you with a physical sensation, which is very important in the process of grounding.

You can sexify this up a bit by adding in some lavender bath salts, or epsom salt bath for extra detoxification and to help with tight muscles from traveling.

Since grounding is associated with the first chakra, which is also tied to our adrenal glands which produce stress hormones, finding time to relax and unwind will help quiet down the first chakra and thus bring more balance to our energy field.

4. Use grounding crystals

Grab some hematite, black tourmaline, or tigers eye, all crystals associated with the first chakra, which is where we connect with the earth.

You can hold the crystals in your hand, carry them in your pocket or purse, or hold them in conjunction with one of the exercises from above.

If you don’t have any crystals of your own, even using a rock or a stone from your backyard or the park can help.

Basically, anything that is from the earth, even just being out in nature, can help you feel more grounded.

Grounding Yourself this Holiday

All of this especially pertinent around the holidays since many of us are travelling, and being some-what uprooted from our homes.

Pay particular attention to how you are feeling and your food cravings and apetite if you are flying since being in the air pulls you even further from the earth.

You may notice that you will be craving different foods and have an increase in apetite, and that’s totes OK! Listen to your body, and before you sit down for your holiday feast, find some quiet time to breath, and feel re-connected to your body before you do it with food.

Liked what you read here? If so, I’m holding a FREE workshop this Thursday at 7 pm EST all about energy healing and how you can use it to help you improve your health and your body. It’s a great intro class if you’ve every been curious about energy healing, Reiki or crystals. You can sign up for the workshop by clicking below.